bitten
be bitten by the bug
To suddenly be excited by or very interested in something (which can be specified between "the" and "bug"). Molly's really enjoying rehearsing for the school play—it seems she's been bitten by the acting bug.
See also: bitten, bug, by
bite
1. verb To respond to an invitation or ad, often a dishonest or misleading one. I tried to trick my brother into cleaning my room, but he didn't bite.
2. verb To be bad or seem ominous. I'm surprised he was nice to you—he usually bites.
3. verb To steal or take something. Aw man, somebody bit my notes, so I couldn't study at lunch.
4. verb, slang To be annoying or disappointing. Oh, that TV show bites. This season has been so stupid that I just can't watch it.
5. noun A meal, often one that is small or doesn't take long to prepare or eat. A shortened form of the phrase "a bite to eat." We don't have a lot of time, so let's just grab a quick bite before the movie starts. Let's pull off at the next rest stop to grab a bite.
bite down
1. To bite very hard and purposefully (on something). I nearly lost a tooth biting down on that apple! I knew there was something wrong with the burger the moment I bit down.
2. To clench one's teeth very firmly. I keep trying to give the dog her pills, but she's biting down so hard that I can't get them into her mouth. The field surgeons didn't have any anesthetic, so the poor man had to just bite down while they operated.
See also: bite, down
bite down on (something)
1. To bite very hard and purposefully on something. I nearly lost a tooth biting down on that apple! She bit down on the man's hand to get him to let go of her.
2. To repress or hold back something, especially an emotion. I bit down on the rude comments that were dancing at the tip of my tongue. She had to keep biting down on her anger as the CEO continued to discredit her work.
See also: bite, down, on
bite in (something)
To repress or hold back something, especially an emotion. I bit in the rude comments that were dancing at the tip of my tongue. She had to keep biting in her fury as the CEO continued to discredit her work.
See also: bite
bite the big one
1. slang To die. We were so lucky to avoid that massive accident—we could have bitten the big one!
2. vulgar slang To be remarkably bad, unpleasant, disappointing, or upsetting. Well, that movie bit the big one. I wish I could get my money back! Yeah, I heard that class bites the big one.
See also: big, bite, one
bite the dust
1. slang Of a person, to die. We were so lucky to avoid that massive accident—we might have bitten the dust!
2. slang Of a machine, to be near a complete breakdown or loss of functionality. Judging by all that noise coming from her car, I'm pretty sure it's about to bite the dust. I have to go buy a new blender because mine bit the dust today.
3. slang To become unpopular or irrelevant. Sadly, it doesn't take long for the latest technological innovations to bite the dust.
See also: bite, dust
bitten by a barn mouse
obsolete Drunk or tipsy. (Barley, the primary ingredient for most beer, would have been kept in a barn, making it potential fodder for barn mice.) I had my suspicions that the farmhands may have all been bitten by a barn mouse, judging by their slurred speech and languid demeanor.
See also: barn, bitten, by, mouse
bitten by the same bug
Sharing a particular desire, interest, or impulse. I can't believe we applied to the same five schools! We must have been bitten by the same bug.
See also: bitten, bug, by, same
have the bug
To suddenly be excited by or very interested in something (which can be specified between "the" and "bug"). Molly's really enjoying rehearsing for the school play—it seems she has the acting bug.
See also: bug, have
I could have bitten my tongue off
I immediately regretted saying something; I wish I could have stopped myself from saying something. I could have bitten my tongue off as soon as I made tasteless joke. As soon as the ridiculous response was out of my mouth, I could've bitten my own tongue off.
See also: bitten, could, have, off, tongue
I wished I had bitten my tongue off
I immediately regretted saying something; I wish I had stopped myself from saying something. I wished I had bitten my tongue off as soon as I made tasteless joke. As soon as the ridiculous response was out of my mouth, I wished I'd bitten my own tongue off.
See also: bitten, off, tongue, wish
once bitten, twice shy
Once one is hurt by someone or something, one will be extra cautious to avoid that person or thing. I've learned my lesson from dating actors—once bitten, twice shy. The company's brief but disastrous attempt was enough for them to vow never to venture into the mobile phone market again. Once bitten, twice shy.
See also: once, shy, twice
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
bite the big one
Sl. to die. I was so tired that I thought I was going to bite the big one. I hope I am old and gray when I bite the big one.
See also: big, bite, one
bite the dust
1. Sl. to die. A shot rang out, and another cowboy bit the dust. The soldier was too young to bite the dust.
2. Sl. to break; to fail; to give out. My old car finally bit the dust. This pen is out of ink and has bitten the dust.
See also: bite, dust
*bite (to eat)
to get something to eat; to get food that can be eaten quickly. (*Typically: get ~; grab ~; have~.) I need a few minutes to grab a bite to eat. Bob often tries to get a bite between meetings.
bitten by the same bug
Fig. having the same need, desire, or obsession. Bob and I were both bitten by the same bug and ended up getting new cars at the same time.
See also: bitten, bug, by, same
Once bitten, twice shy.
Prov. When something or someone has hurt you once, you tend to avoid that thing or person. Jill: Let's go ride the roller coaster. Jane: No, thanks. I got really sick on one of those once—once bitten, twice shy. I once sent in money for something I saw advertised in the back of a magazine, but the merchandise was of such poor quality I was sorry I'd bought it. I'll never buy anything that way again; once bitten, twice shy.
See also: once, shy, twice
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
bark is worse than one's bite, one's
A person seems more hostile or aggressive than is the case, as in Dad sounds very grouchy in the morning, but his bark's worse than his bite. This phrase was a proverb by the mid-1600s.
See also: bark, worse
bite the dust
Suffer defeat or death, as in The 1990 election saw both of our senators bite the dust. Although this expression was popularized by American Western films of the 1930s, in which either cowboys or Indians were thrown from their horses to the dusty ground, it originated much earlier. Tobias Smollett had it in Gil Blas (1750): "We made two of them bite the dust."
See also: bite, dust
once bitten, twice shy
Once hurt, one is doubly cautious in the future, as in He was two days late last time, so she's not hiring him again-once bitten, twice shy. This seemingly old observation, presumably alluding to an animal biting someone, was first recorded in 1894.
See also: once, shy, twice
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
once bitten, twice shy
oronce bitten
You say once bitten, twice shy to mean that a bad experience makes you not want to become involved in a similar situation in the future. I'm certainly not looking for a new boyfriend. Once bitten, twice shy. Tokyo's punters, once bitten, twice shy, will not come rushing back for more.
See also: once, shy, twice
be bitten by the bug
COMMON If you are bitten by the gardening bug, for example, or are bitten by the acting bug, you become very enthusiastic about gardening or acting, and you start doing it a lot. I've definitely been bitten by the gardening bug, and now I love weeding and digging. Bitten by the travel bug, he set off for a working holiday in Australia. She provides a guide to Britain's antiques markets and a very useful reference list for those seriously bitten by the bug.
See also: bitten, bug, by
bite the dust
COMMON
1. If something bites the dust, it fails or stops existing. With the news that milk chocolate can help cut cholesterol, yet another healthy eating fad bites the dust. Quite a few restaurants have bitten the dust recently.
2. If someone bites the dust, they die. A Wild West showman nearly bit the dust when he blew himself up making blank bullets in his garden shed. Note: This expression is used to refer to someone's death in a humorous way. Note: In stories about the Wild West, cowboys were said to `bite the dust' when they were shot and fell off their horses.
See also: bite, dust
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
bite the big one
die. North American informal 1996 Tom Clancy Executive Orders The Premier of Turkmenistan bit the big one, supposedly an automobile accident.
See also: big, bite, one
bite the dust
1 be killed. 2 fail. informalSee also: bite, dust
I could have bitten my tongue off
used to convey that you profoundly and immediately regret having said something.See also: bitten, could, have, off, tongue
have (or be bitten by) the bug
develop a sudden strong enthusiasm for something.See also: bug, have
once bitten, twice shy
a bad experience makes you wary of the same thing happening again.This expression dates from the late 19th century. A variant common in the USA is once burned, twice shy .
See also: once, shy, twice
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
bite the ˈbig one
(American English, slang)1 be very bad or fail: This place really bites the big one!
2 die: It’s a surprise to see him bite the big one at the end of the movie.
See also: big, bite, one
bite the ˈdust
(informal)1 fail, or be defeated or destroyed: Thousands of small businesses bite the dust every year.
2 (humorous) die
See also: bite, dust
be bitten by/have the ˈbug
(informal) have a sudden strong interest in or enthusiasm for something: My mum was never really interested in going abroad until she went to America last year. Now she’s been bitten by the travel bug and hates staying at home!See also: bitten, bug, by, have
ˌonce ˈbitten, ˌtwice ˈshy
(saying) if something has gone wrong once, you are very careful not to let something similar happen again: ‘Will she marry again, do you think?’ ‘I doubt it — once bitten, twice shy.’See also: once, shy, twice
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
bite
1. in. to accept a deception; to fall for something; to respond to a come-on. We put up a sign advertising free pop, but nobody bit.
2. in. [for someone or something] to be bad or threatening. My dad bites, but don’t worry, he’s in a good mood.
3. in. to be irritating. (More severe than to suck, as in It sucks.) This party bites. Sko.
4. tv. to copy something without permission; to steal something. Sue bit a copy of my term paper, and I almost got in trouble.
bite the big one
tv. to die. I was so tired that I thought I was going to bite the big one.
See also: big, bite, one
bite the dust
1. tv. to die. A shot rang out, and another cowboy bit the dust.
2. tv. to break; to fail; to give out. My car finally bit the dust.
See also: bite, dust
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
bite the dust
Slang1. To fall dead, especially in combat.
2. To be defeated.
3. To come to an end.
See also: bite, dust
bite
/hold (one's) tongue To be or keep silent.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
once bitten, twice shy
One injury will make one extra cautious in the future. This proverbial saying appears to date from the mid-nineteenth century, although the idea is centuries older. William Scarborough’s version of Chinese Proverbs (1875) stated, “Once bitten by a snake in passing by, a second time he will of grass be shy.”
See also: once, shy, twice
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- be bitten by the bug
- be bitten by/have the bug
- have the bug
- define
- define (something) as (something)
- define as
- X factor
- in rehearsal
- trial run
- a trial run